Traditions and Resolutions
by yoyshaia-chan
Summary: Wherever or whoever you are it's virtually impossible to let the old year turn into the new year without any kind of recognition. This is the way we celebrate. Just a short fic to celebrate New Year! Rated for one instance of swearing.


**_And here's one I prepared earlier... haha, I didn't do a Chrismas fic this year, but I did want to do something seasonal. Thus: my super-special-awesome New Year Fic! It's short, partly because I only have eyes for my other story right now, but I spent a fair bit of time going over it for mistakes so it shouldn't be awful! It's set on the brink of the timeskip, so although Naruto hasn't actually left yet, pretty much everything else has happened. Also, I'm aware that it's very similar to my Christmas Wishes story - that's because it's like a companion piece. But not written at the same time, hence the differences. Anyway, I'm gonna stop rambling now and let you guys enjoy the story! ^_^  
_**

**Traditions and Resolutions  
_This Is The Way We Celebrate_  
**

New year's eve is celebrated in different ways by different people in different places. But wherever or whoever you are it's virtually impossible to let the old year turn into the new year without any kind of recognition.

*.*.*

At a New Year's party in Konoha Kiba kisses Hinata on the forehead to remind her that her friends won't let her feel alone, even if Naruto has been stalking Sakura all night hoping to get her to agree to kiss him when midnight comes around.

In a corner of the room Ino sits on Shikamaru's lap, more out of habit than anything else, and almost forgets to kiss him when the fireworks go off.

Choji is more interested in his love affair with a packet of barbecue crisps than he is in getting a kiss from anybody. And Shino would prefer to watch gloomily from the corner as everybody else has fun without him.

As the clock chimes midnight Ten Ten stands herself in front of Neji with a defiant look in her eyes. He pretends not to be as surprised as he is when he leans down and kisses her softly on the lips, trying to look as if it was what he planned to do all along. She isn't quite as worried about appearances though, and gives a delighted squeak that is thankfully lost in the noise.

And as everybody cheers the arrival of the new year Naruto presses a shy kiss to Sakura's lips, and she lets him. Because she thinks he's sweet and it's a party after all and, more than anything else, she's quite drunk.

*.*.*

Lee and Gai celebrate the new year by making dramatic resolutions atop the Hokage monument.

"I will run four hundred laps around the village every day this year!" Lee declares.

"I will join you! But I will stretch myself further by running backwards!" Gai announces, and then they're both crying dramatically.

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

All set against an inexplicable background of a beach at sunset. Oh the youthfulness.

*.*.*

As the clock starts to signal midnight, the tinny gongs of the miniature plastic clocktower on the table more than loud enough to fill the small room, Anko asks dryly if anybody will dare her to kiss Kakashi. His one eye fixes lazily on her. Nobody dares her.

In the same room, only feet away, Kurenai and Asuma are unaware that the new year has even begun. They've been kissing like teenagers for the past ten minutes anyway.

*.*.*

In Suna the sand siblings have a small toast. They'll sit out amongst the sand dunes until the sun rises and then go back to bed. Despite following tradition almost exactly there's one major difference that makes this year stand out: it's the first year since he was four that Gaara has joined them.

*.*.*

At a criminal hideout in a mystery location a group of rogue ninja are trying to pretend they haven't noticed that it's new year's eve.

One of them can't hold back a comment though, and as midnight passes he looks up and says "I really hope nobody here is expecting a kiss, hm."

"Deidara," Sasori replies wearily, "Shut up."

Kisame knocks back his fourteenth glass of sake and Itachi rolls his eyes from the shadows. His partner will be a nightmare with his hangover tomorrow morning.

"Screw New Year's." Hidan mutters stroppily as he gets up to go to bed – Kakuzu knows that he's just annoyed because, being criminals and therefore in hiding, they're not allowed to have fireworks.

*.*.*

Orochimaru, weirdly, adores new year celebrations. He lets all of his ninja get wasted on cheap champagne and gives them the morning of the next day off to nurse their hangovers.

Sasuke is unimpressed by the immaturity of his fellow shinobi and goes to bed glaring. Against his wishes he is woken up at midnight by the sound of the clock chiming. _This year_, he vows, _this year I will kill Itachi_. Just like every year.

*.*.*

Whether they like it or not the very fact that they're all awake and thinking about the same thing at the same time connects them, like a fragile and invisible thread, until the moment the last chime of midnight fades away.

_**Happy New Year everybody!**_


End file.
